Tips leads to arrest of Berks County man in thefts from Oley roofing business

The suspect stole power tools and equipment, police say.

Written by Reading Eagle

A Ruscombmanor Township man has been charged with breaking into work vehicles at an Oley Township roofing business and stealing power tools and equipment worth more than $2,000.

Matthew Diana, 44, of the first block of Fraser Road was committed to Berks County Prison in lieu of $5,000 bail after arraignment Wednesday night before District Judge Carissa L. Johnson in Reading Central Court.

He is charged with theft and receiving stolen property.

According to Central Berks Regional police:

On Oct. 14 about 5:40 p.m., someone used bolt cutters and a pry bar to break into work trucks and trailers at Mast Roofing & Construction, 3095 W. Philadelphia Ave.

Security video showed a silver, late-1990s Nissan Frontier with an extended cab and hood-mounted bug-deflector arriving and departing on Route 73 from the Boyertown area. The footage shows a tall, white man wearing a dirty Fox Racing hooded sweatshirt stealing several gallons of gasoline from a fuel storage tank.

Detective Sgt. Deron M. Manndel distributed still images from the footage to local media and the department’s Facebook page. On Oct. 17, he received several tips identifying Diana as the person in the images.

One of the tipsters said Diana used his girlfriend’s truck for the thefts and did HVAC work for a man in Philadelphia, where the caller believed the truck was parked.

The tipster also said Diana was a frequent customer at a Reading-area pawnshop.

Manndel learned that some of the stolen items were likely stored on a property owned by a relative of Diana, with whom he resides, on Fraser Road in Ruscombmanor Township.

On Oct. 17, police arrived at the residence to serve a search warrant. The property owner was there and cooperated with police.

In the garage they found several nail guns and other construction tools and equipment that were reported stolen from the Mast property.

Diana was working in New Jersey at the time. After learning of the charges, he turned himself in to authorities Wednesday.